Abstract |
This page introduces a major revision and evolution of the Sgai language, which was defined as a Scenic Intuitive Glomerating Ideal Language (SIGIL), and which dates from 2006. The language is still classified as an a-priori invention, and many morphological elements and some words from the original Sgai have been retained, just the adamic aspect—where every detail including its phonaesthemics was worked out from first principles—has been found to be impractical, sadly. Thus, the original will be referred to as proto-Sgai, and treated as an ancestor to the current language. Work on the current version began in December 2020 ※
1 Introduction |
1.1 Features
Features inherited from proto-Sgai include the following:
- maximum clarity in the phonology
- morphemes distinct phonetically from word-roots
- may be spoken as an uninterrupted stream without ambiguity
- minimum word size, especially for common roots and particles
- versatile & simple methods for word-building
- phrase grouping tags for logic
- metaphors of scene and energy for interpreting phrases
- easy shift between noun, verb and adjective
- numerals
- dedicated writing systems (slightly revised)
- some awkward phonemes
- phonaesthemes for root words
- word-building and morphology hampered by phonaesthemic requirements
- separate passive verb system
- more intuitive but versatile phrase construction
- comprehensive stochastic lexicon
1.2 The stochastic element
Vocabulary is generated using semi-random assignment. This is almost the direct opposite method of proto-Sgai, which assigned meaning by considering the phonaesthemes involved, in a bio-semantic and non-arbitrary fashion. The main problems with that method were the time involved in analyzing the metaphors, and the growing amount of overlap where many different words could be derivable from the same phonaesthemes. There were still subjective decisions, as well as considerations of practicality and harmony, so the process became very tedious in spite of its potential for pure non-arbitrariness.
The source for the current lexicon is a revised and expanded version of Richard Harrison’s wonderful Universal Language Dictionary of 1996. Within a few milliseconds, the entire corpus of almost 1800 words was assigned to unique root-word phoneme structures and tabulated (roughly speaking). There are no overlaps (homonyms) in the base lexicon, and of course no etymologies outside of our own word-building. There is also a nicely varied mix of phonemes, without the subconscious preferences and accidental repetitions & collisions which can occur in a manually constructed lexicon. And with the absence of preference in word assignment comes a sense of fairness and detachment, with no word better or more prestigious than another (although such attributes might accrue over time).
The result is really no different to that faced by someone learning a new language from an unrelated language family. While a phonaesthemic system could theoretically be decoded just by reading the phonemes, and be easy to learn, in practice, such a fully mnemonic vocabulary is no easier to use than one where we struggle initially with a personal set of mnemonics. In either case, eloquence will involve choosing combinations of existing words (phonemes) in a euphonious manner, with appropriate-interesting-witty word-compounding and phrase-design, as desired; and this is ultimately how any natural language’s final grammar and syntax will have evolved.
Obviously, the lexicon will appear completely fresh. But it may come as a surprise just how apt many of the lexicon assignments look and sound. I have written elsewhere about the tenuous but intellectually satisfying link between randomness and angelic intervention. Let’s just say that that part of the language which labels this world, came “from another world”.
1.3 Phoneme inventory
The symbols used here to represent the phonemes come from the International Phonetic Alphabet.
C = main consonants: [ b d f ɡ h k j l m n p ɹ s ʃ t θ v w z ʒ bɾ kɾ pɾ tɾ ]
V = main vowels: [ ɑ æ e i ɔ ɜ u y ɑi ɑu ɑy ɛi ɛo ɔi ɯɑ ]
affric = [ tʃ dʒ ts dz ]
other consonants: [ ð fɾ ʔ p’ t’ q’ tʃ’ ]
other vocalics: [ ɹ̩ m̩ n̩ ]
short vowels: [ ə ɑ̆ ɑʔ ]
tone: relaxed, rising [ ˇ ], (high), falling [ ˆ ]
Final [b] is unreleased. Unvoiced plosives [ k p t ] are aspirated. A final [n] may shift in sound to [ m ɱ ŋ ] depending on the following consonant (a common effect called sandhi), but ideally should be treated as a nasalization of the previous vowel. Vowel [ɜ] is used to represent “some central-ish vowel distinct from the other seven monophthongs”, so might range as [ œ ɜ ɞ ə ɘ ɵ ]. Vowels [ɔ] and [y] may range to [o] and [ʉ]. Diphthongs are chosen such that there is no semivowel by-product, which would introduce ambiguity; for example [uɑ] may sound like [u.wɑ]. Affricate [tʃ] may shift inward to [ʈʂ]. Explicit schwa [ə] is used in particles, is always short (reduced), and unvoiced (perhaps vanishing) after an unvoiced consonant. All other vowels are normally not short, although diphthongs may have the same length as a normal single vowel.
2 Grammar – words |
2.1 Structure of a word
Here and below is laid out the parse-structure of the grammar (bottom up), including all particles.
honorific =
☥ | Word[s] meaning “good” and specific to the word being invoked (see below); similar to Thai คุณ, and titles like Mr, Mrs, Reverend in English. In writing, may be abbreviated to an ankh symbol. Might be used with the [də] prefix. |
prefix =
ɡə | male who ... |
bə | female who ... |
də | possibly non-Sgai word, proper noun rendered as ... |
əl | hə | abstraction, idea, state of being, doing ... |
root = CV | CV [ b n θ v ]
magcoda =
u | not, none, opposite, complement |
i | few, small amount |
æ | some(what), roughly, mainly, clearly, enough, medium |
ɑ | very, large(ly), much, all |
ɔ | overly, too, excessive, beyond |
mag = [j] magcoda
slink =
Ø | of type, which is, labeled as ... |
lə | like, similar to ... |
mə | of, belonging to, associated with, pertaining to ... |
fə | using, by means of, via ... ; -ing, acting upon ... |
ʃə | together with, accompanied by ... |
sə | then, followed by ... ; is the number (count) of ... |
səs | is the number (ordinal) of ... |
sfə | for, used by ... ; which undergoes ... —reverse of “using” |
smə | having, furnished with, with power/action of ... —reverse of “of” |
suffix =
ʃ | darling, special, poetically |
s | jargon, anaphor, spoken of, topical, obvious, abbrev. |
word = (honorific) (prefix) root (mag) (slink root (mag) ...) (suffix)
The root here refers to an item of vocabulary in the Lexicon. In word-building, any part of speech may be co-opted to help form a meaningful string. The magcoda comes directly from proto-Sgai, helping here to form a simple root modifier, and important later in forming the phrase modifiers (see §3.2).
2.2 Preparing actors
words = word ([dʒɔ] slink word) | word ([dʒə] word)dʒɔ | that, which, who ... |
dʒə | which is ... |
plural = [sə]
detachPron =
bwɑ̆ | thou, thee (passive) |
bjɑ̆ | thou, thee (active) |
dwɑ̆ | other party (passive) |
djɑ̆ | other party (active) |
ɡwɑ̆ | I, me (passive) |
ɡjɑ̆ | I, me (active) |
The possessive may be formed with this as a suffix upon word. For example:
mə ɡjɑ̆ | mine, possessed by me —and “active” tag transfers to the possession |
actor = (plural) words [ tə kə kətə ] | (plural) detachPron
tə | is active party |
kə | is passive party |
kətə | is both active & passive, affecting self or each other |
Here words is given an overall nounal meaning, and may be a nominalized verb (gerund) or reified adjective.
Plural prefix or double plural prefix [səs] on the detachable pronoun can make the following (just active shown):
sə ɡjɑ̆ | we (I & thou) |
sə bjɑ̆ | many of you |
sə djɑ̆ | others, them |
səs ɡjɑ̆ | all of us (I & many of you) |
səs bjɑ̆ | all except me (many of you & others) |
səs djɑ̆ | everything, including me |
2.3 The bare verb
reflect = [sə] —q.v. noun pluralizermanner = [dzu] words
dzu | in the manner of ... —forms adverb from other parts of speech |
verb = (reflect) words (manner)
Here words is given an overall verbal meaning, and may be activity extrapolated from a noun or adjective. See §3.4.4 for the use of reflectivity.
3 Grammar – action |
3.1 The expanded verb
A =p’ | bɑʔ | you, thee (party in front of me) |
t’ | dɑʔ | other party (not present) |
q’ | ɡɑʔ | me |
tʃ’ | dʒɑʔ | something, unspecified, unknown |
p’q’ | bəɡɑʔ | you and me |
p’tʃ’ | bədʒɑʔ | you and something |
t’q’ | dəɡɑʔ | other and me |
tʃ’q’ | dʒəɡɑʔ | something and me |
This tag comes immediately after verb and indicates one (or two) of the actors involved with the verb. Whether the referent is Passive or Active depends on whether actor tag [t] or [k] precedes the verb. For example with [p’] ⇒ “verb you” or “verbed by you”. See §3.4 for further explanation.
With the double tag, the second refers to the actor tagged by [t] or [k] immediately before the verb. For example with [p’q’] ⇒ “I verb you” or “I am verbed by you”. See §3.4 for further explanation.
The ejective form comes from proto-Sgai, and is intended for relatively quiet speech. The voiced form uses a short vowel and glottal stop, and can be used for louder speech, and song.
tense = [ ɡ p ] magcoda —see Deictic phrase modifiers below
ɡ | past |
p | future |
time = tense (words)
place = [ðə] words
ðə | taking place at, with location ... |
tmod = (time) (place)
edmod = [ tɾ n v w d t θ f b m ʒ ] magcoda —see phrase modifiers below
tɾ | periodicity |
n | certainty |
v | quiddity |
w | intake |
d | gravity |
t | differential |
θ | quality |
f | deference |
b | directness |
m | intimacy |
ʒ | acceptance |
ed = edmod (edmod ...)
vmod = (tmod) (ed)
action = verb A ([ʔə] vmod [pə])
Verbal block is closed by the ejective of A or by [p], just as [t] or [k] closes an actor. Also, the function of glottal in the vmod prefix can be assumed by the ejective release.
3.2 Phrase modifiers
Phrase modifiers are inherited from proto-Sgai. They come at the end of a phrase or sentence, and are formed very much like rootwords, their CV syllable having a phonaesthemic consonant but followed by a possibly toned magnitude vowel (see magcoda above). They act as clarifying or editorial comments on the statement, and may be used in sequence.
If using tone, the [pə] closer is not necessary; then, if there is only one mod, it ends the entire statement with \ a falling tone; a sequence of mods will form a tonal contour: rise (high (high)) fall / \.
0° not u |
1° minimally i |
2° somewhat æ |
3° fully ɑ |
4° overly ɔ |
|
3.2.1 Deictic | |||||
ɡ p tɾ |
current final, won’t never |
just now about to once, rarely |
earlier will sometimes |
old, completed eventual frequent, often |
mythical maybe later always, continuous |
3.2.2 Informational | |||||
n v w |
unknown untrue denial |
vague hypothetical doubting |
rumored potential curious |
certain real question |
inevitable fantastic interrogation |
3.2.3 Palimpsest | |||||
d t θ |
comic familiar useless |
trivial variation poor |
noteworthy novelty usable |
serious surprise ideal |
urgent shock spoilt |
3.2.4 Attitudinal | |||||
f b m ʒ |
threat ironic indifferent rejection |
must obtuse formal disappointed |
should polite common ambivalent |
request straight inviting pleased |
allow harsh private desirous |
When translating especially the attitudinal phrase modifiers, it may be wise to expand upon the meanings given above, to avoid sounding too transparent and tactless.
3.3 The bare scene
act =1. (actorA [k]) actorB [t] action —by B upon A | |
2. (actorA [t]) actorB [k] action —upon B by A | |
3. (actorB) [t] verb [ʔɜ] actorA ([k]) ([ʔə] vmod [p]) —action by B upon A | |
4. (actorB) [k] verb [ʔɜ] actorA ([t]) ([ʔə] vmod [p]) —action upon B by A | |
5. [k] action | [t] action | |
6. verb [p] |
1,2. superscript A marks (first) ejective tag referent.
3,4. particle [ʔɜ] = “refer to previous verb for ...”, and closes the verb block without an ejective.
5. if using double verb tag, or other party is known.
6. if parties’ relationship continues and there is no new vmod.
Notice how forms 3 and 4 allow phrases which are not verb-final. More examples of verb arrangement are described below.
3.4 Verb design
Verbs can be made from other parts of speech, for example:
sword | ⇒ do the sword thing: cut, hack, stab something | |
feather | ⇒ be/do as a feather: float, be light | |
black | ⇒ be black |
And verbs may take one or two explicit arguments (actors). Note how the verb “sword”, like the more ordinary “cut”, involves two parties. The other two verbs “feather” and “black”, like the ordinary verb “sleep”, seem to involve only one.
3.4.1 Two-argument verbs
The essential, default design of an act involves one or two slots before the verb to hold the actor[s], and one or two slots after to hold the ejective-references, in the same order. The second ejective slot (if applicable) has a silent default of [t’] “other”.
A simple two-argument transitive verb might be arranged like this:
actor1 actor2 verb ref1 ref2 Ø dog bite me Ø
Depending on the actor tag before the verb, the ejective’s referent takes the opposing role, and may change the verb’s voice from active to passive.
Ø dog [kə] bite [q’] Ø Ø the dog (passive) is bitten by me Ø
Both actors may be named in the scene.
postman [kə] dog [tə] bite [t’] (ref2 → dog) the postman (undergoer) the dog (agent) bites him Ø
In the next example all slots are filled, and there is pronoun-elaboration, an expression of “I love you”. Note that the order of double ejectives is fixed (see A in §3.1 above), as required for their ease of articulation. Using [t’] here would make the sentence more literal.
flower [kə] painter [tə] love [p’] [q’] (symbol for you) (symbol for me) love you me
The minimal form of this expression would leave an unnamed active tag, to match the second ejective referent’s role. The actor tag may then be interpreted as a prefix on the verb.
Ø [tə] love [p’q’]
3.4.2 Two-argument intransitive verbs
An intransitive verb normally has a single argument (actor). By introducing a second argument, we can show aspects of causation or control.
old lady [kə] bus-conductor [tə] sit [t’] Ø —she was sat down by the conductor Ø window [kə] black [q’] Ø —I blackened the window
In some cases it may be possible to deduce an appropriate second actor’s role, perhaps by looking at the balance, or direction, of energy between the parties.
old lady [tə] armchair [kə] sit [t’] Ø —her seat was passive, sat upon old lady [kə] armchair [tə] sit [t’] Ø —the chair was instrumental, she was frail
3.4.3 One-argument verbs
There are three types of verb arrangements involving a single argument (actor). First is the normal intransitive verb. Lack of a second party is shown by the insertion of the particle [əl] before the verb.
actor1 actor2 verb ref1 ref2 old lady [t] [əl] sit [t’] Ø —she is just sitting old lady [k] [əl] sit [t’] Ø —she has to sit (undergo this state)
A more abstract case involves the special ejective referent “something, unspecified”.
[t] [əl] sit [tʃ’] Ø —there is sitting going on [k] [əl] sit [tʃ’] Ø —something is made to sit
A less anonymous case uses a transitive verb together with the “something” referent, and leaves the first actor slot necessarily empty.
Ø bus-conductor [kə] bite [tʃ’] Ø —something bit the conductor Ø old lady [tə] bite [tʃ’] Ø —she bit something
3.4.4 Reflective verbs
The sense of doing to oneself (reflexive) or doing mutually with another (reciprocal), can be expressed in two ways. One uses a prefix for reflection, as if the parties look in a mirror. The other shows the parties share both states of agency and passivity.
Ø Ø [sə] verb [p’] Ø —you verb yourself Ø Ø [sə] verb [q’] Ø —I verb myself Ø Ø [sə] verb [p’] [q’] —we verb each other
actor1 [kətə] verb ref1 Ø —named actor1 verbs itself actor1 [tʃə] actor2 [kətə] verb [t’] Ø —actor1 & actor2 verb each other
4 Grammar – phrases |
4.1 Phrase grouping
clause = (tmod [tʃɔ]) act —using the flow-word from clause tags belowopenctag, closectag = affric V (tone) | [m̩] (tone) | [fɾ] V
Clause tags (nestable): { X openctag Y closectag }
openctags = | closectags = | |
4.1.1 Logical | ||
tʃə | and; with; also ... (both X and Y; X∧Y) | dʒi |
tʃe | possibly, but certainly ... (◊X∧Y) | dʒi |
tʃɔi | and possibly also ... (X∧◊Y) | dʒy |
tʃi | not that, but still; excluded, leaving ... (¬X∧Y) | dʒi |
tʃɑy | but not; except for; excluding ... (X∧¬Y) | dʒy |
fɾɑy | not that and not ... (neither X nor Y; ¬X∧¬Y) | fɾɔ |
fɾɑ | or; else; otherwise ... (logical xor; X or Y not both; X⊕Y) | fɾɔ |
tsɑ | and/or ... (logical inclusive or; X or Y or both; X∨Y) | tsɜ |
tsɑy | possibly, or possibly ... (X or Y or neither, not both; logical nand) | tsɜ |
4.1.2 Conditional | ||
tʃɹ | so then; therefore; resulting in; so that; ⇒ ... | ʈʂɹ̂ |
fɾe | with the proviso that; only if; not unless ... | fɾu |
dʒe | because of; depending on; if; given; ⇐ ... | dʒu |
tʃu | doesn’t imply; doesn’t result in ... | ʈʂɹ̂ |
dʒɔi | not because of; but not if/given ... | dʒu |
4.1.3 Temporal | ||
tʃɹ | and then; followed by ... | Ø |
dʒɑ | following after; only when ... (reverse of “and then”) | dʒɜ |
fɾi | while also; during; meanwhile ... | fɾɜ |
4.1.4 Expositional | ||
m̩ | that; the details of which are ... | m̂ |
m̌ | re-expressed as; in other words; for example ... | m̂ |
də | is now defined by & written as ... (q.v. prefix) | m̂ |
tʃɔ | likewise, similarly, well, er ... (flow-word like Thai ก็ ) | Ø |
Here closectag is optional if the nesting is not complex. The flow-word [tʃɔ] may also be used like punctuation, for example as a dash or ellipsis, to break up a phrase.
4.2 Prelude and finish
prelCV = [ b d l m n s v ʒ ] [ i æ ɔ ]prelude = prelCV [ɹ] pause
4.2.1 Logical-conditional-temporal | |
niɹ | Condition[s]: |
liɹ | Choice[s]: |
biɹ | On the other hand / Contrarily: |
diɹ | Reason / Explanation: |
viɹ | Result / Finally / In summary: |
ʒiɹ | Sequence of events: |
4.2.2 Expositional | |
ʒæɹ | Topic / Prelude: |
dæɹ | Observation / Analysis / In more depth: |
N sæɹ | { Number of } things / Points: |
læɹ | Aside / By the way / Casual remark / Humble opinion: |
mæɹ | For example: |
næɹ | Quote: |
væɹ | Instruction: |
4.2.3 Informational | |
mɔɹ | Question: |
lɔɹ | Just suppose / Hypothetically / Consider this: |
vɔɹ | Not the case: |
ʒɔɹ | Predictably / As we expect / Still the case: |
nɔɹ | News / Update / Gossip: |
bɔɹ | Surprisingly / Oddly: |
dɔɹ | Don’t forget / Beware / Advice: |
preludeClose = [n] | pause
The prelude was inspired by Seaspeak, a simplified English which uses simple, strict and clear protocols in its phrases. Here we also use simple/clear consonants and three vowels phonetically far apart. Some of these may take a plural [s] prefix. And they may be emphasized or closed by an edmod later in the verb block.
Finally ...
sentence, scene = (prelude) clause ((openctag clause ... (closectag)) ...) (preludeClose) 。
5 Words |
5.1 Small talk
A few essential words for civilized speech. The first three come from proto-Sgai, and each is irregular in some way.
kɜɡ | hello —an irregular syllable, with no inherent meaning, from [kɯɡ] |
hɑp’q’ | thank you (you improve me) —assumes referent order is active passive |
zɜq’ | sorry (I ruined it) —assumes referent is active, from [zøq’] |
sbəkɛinʃɡəkɛinʃ | dear ladies & gentlemen —the less fancy version is [sətɾɯɑʃjyn] |
5.2 Numbers
Names of the numerals and the system of counting also come from proto-Sgai. They are derived from phonaesthemic words, and the count from one to ten is particulary euphonious. Notice the use of medial flap [-ɾ-] to signify repetition/duplication. The number 2019 is pronounced [tɾysbɑ-bɑ-nɜjɑ].
Number Sgai word Derivation 1 ty single 2 tɾy pair 3 nɜ angle apex (from [nø]) 4 slɜ sides (from [səlø]) 5 tɔ flower (petals) 6 pɔ round 7 tihɑ good number 8 tiwɑ big number 9 nɜjɑ bigger 3 (from [nøja]) 10 bɑ hands-full ----- 11 bɑ-ty etc. 20 tɾybɑ 2 as handsful 30 nɜbɑ etc. 100 bɾɑ dup 10 ⇒ 10 × 10 k sbɑ many 10 ⇒ 10 × 10 × 10 10k bɑjɑ bigger 10 ⇒ 1,000 × 10 100k bɾɑjɑ bigger 100 ⇒ 1,000 × 100 M sbɾɑ many 100 ⇒ 100 × 100 × 100 G səsbɑ many k ⇒ 1,000 × 1,000 × 1,000 E12 sbɑjɑ many 10k ⇒ 10,000 × 10,000 × 10,000 E15 sbɾɑjɑ many 100k ⇒ 100,000 × 100,000 × 100,000 E18 səsbɾɑ many M ⇒ 1,000,000 × 1,000,000 × 1,000,000
Hexadecimal context:ten bɑ 10 (decimal = A of hexadecimal) eleven beʔ B twelve seʔ C thirteen deʔ D fourteen heʔ E fifteen feʔ F sixteen ɡeʔ G (the radix = 10 hexadecimal)
5.3 Lexicon
Lexicon assignments to the two-phoneme roots were made on 27th April 2021. These shortest roots are for words that are not only common, but that might also be versatile and useful in word-building. (Most morphemic particles are also short, two or one-and-a-half phonemes in size.) Assignments to the three and four-phoneme roots were made on 29th April 2021, with some four and all five-phoneme roots still vacant.
A small number of words were necessarily reserved to specific root-form phoneme combinations, shown below. The 65 phrase modifiers of §3.2 above will overlap ordinary CV root-form assignments, but are not ambiguous since they are always flanked by [ʔə] and [pə], or have tone.
jɑ jæ ji jɔ ju | the mags used in simple word-building, shown in §2.1 above |
ɡɑi | “fortuitous thing, stochastic outcome” —plural gives the language name |
vɔn | “non-entity (which is)” —a negating prefix for word-building; q.v. [vɔɹ] |
In addition, it is possible to use words from the existing proto-Sgai lexicon, which are often (by design) very apt. Some words have phonemes which are no longer used, namely [ ʔh hl hw ŋ x dɾ ɡɾ ø ɯ ], and a sophisticated speaker should try to preserve them. Apart from these words, there will be collisions between the CV forms of proto-Sgai and current two-phoneme roots, so there is no longer zero ambiguity if the old words are used.
Some noticeable imperfections of the language will be dealt with in on-going fashion, so some small changes may appear on this page.
6 Examples |
6.1 Tower of Babel excerpt
6.1.1 This is a translation from Genesis XI verses 1 and 2, written here using the IPA, and then plain ASCII:
ʒæɹ : ʃɛoməlky tʃɔ bɑtysəsjɛiv tʃɔ ɹɯɑndəbebɜl n ||
1 tʃɹ kɾænjɑt tysbɑyθ dʒɔʃ tyszɔ k fɔt’ əɡɔp ||
2 tʃɹ təl sɑuntʃ’ m kɾɔbk hɛont’ | fɾi ʒibpɾɑvk bɾut’ ðə θɑidəʃinɑɹp fɾɜ | tʃə gæt’ ðə mep ||
Zhaer: Sheom'lky tsho batyssjeiv tsho Ruuan d'Beboel n.
1 Tshr kraenjat tysbayth dzhosh tyszo kfot'gop.
2 Tshr tl saontsh' m krobk heont', fri zhibpravk broot' dh'thai d'Shinarp froetsh gaet' dh'mep.
6.1.2 Analysis:
topic: history-OF-ABSTRACT-create -- eleven-TH-chapter -- tower-LABEL-babel ||
1 and-so world-ALL-ACTIVE one-COUNT-language also one-COUNT-voice PASSIVE was-had-by-IT in-mythical-past ||
2 and-so was-happening-STH that east-PASSIVE was-left-by-THEM | meanwhile:
field:big-PASSIVE encountered-by-THEM where: province-LABEL-shinar | and was-made-residence-by-THEM where: there ||
6.1.3 As read by the language maker:
--session 25th August 2021-- |
6.1.4 Original in English:
Referring to Genesis, eleventh chapter, Tower of Babel –
1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
6.2 Shakespeare excerpt
6.2.1 This is a translation from the beginning of Shakespeare’s Sonnet XVIII:
ʒevməfɑyθ tʃə bwɑ̆θɛonʃ k syq’ əpæwɑ̂ |
ɹɑiv tʃə lɜju k sɑuvɑibɑʔ əʒɑ̂ |
sbɛovʃɛivt sədeθlibməkentɔk mɔvt’ |
tʃə ɹɔibɾɜməfɑyθt ʒɑθʒæθjɔk ɹɔvt’ ||
Zhevm'fayth tsh bwatheonsh ksyq'paewa\
Raiv tsh loeju ksaovaiba7 zha\
Sbeovsheivt sdethlibm'kentok movt'
Tsh roibroem'faytht zhathzhaethjok rovt'
6.2.2 Analysis:
day-OF-summer with you:dear-DARLING PASSIVE compared-by-ME shall-question |
beautiful and varying-NOT PASSIVE are-being:more-YOU pleasingly |
winds:violent-ACTIVE buds:nice-OF-month:five-PASSIVE shaken-by-IT |
and contract:duration-OF-summer-ACTIVE date:brief-TOO-PASSIVE reflected-in-IT ||
6.2.3 As read by the language maker:
--session 25th August 2021-- |
6.2.4 Original in English:
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate;
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
7 Writing systems |
7.1 Yônfaeth
7.2 Goev le Trith